Gleanings From The Word: August 2017

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

The Leprosy of the Soul

Uzziah was smitten with leprosy.

But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar (2 Chronicles 26: 16 NLT).

It was said of King Uzziah, “He did what pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done (v. 4), yet, through pride, he became a leper to the day of his death.

Uzziah was the King, but he was not permitted to burn incense in the Temple. This task was reserved only for the priests. Uzziah became a mighty king, but he also became proud. He decided that his way of doing things was better than God’s. Pride leads us to disobedience and sin is not far behind. What are the signs that we are moving toward this downward spiral? With Uzziah, the council he once received from his advisers, he despised. He became enraged with those who to confronted him to save him from destruction (2 Chronicles 18-19 NLT).

The problem with this spiritual malady is that if you have it, you are oblivious to it. If you think you are humble, you probably are not. If you believe it could never happen to you? Your wrong! To deem that conceit’s long tentacles cannot reach down into your heart, makes you more susceptible than ever. Listening to his counselors could have saved Uzziah. What will spare you and me? Keeping ourselves accountable, to God and then man. God always tries to warn us. Ignore the warning and that leprosy of our soul, pride, will usher in our downfall. “Pride leads to disgrace” (Proverbs 11:2 NLT). Such is the story of the of the once great King, Uzziah.

Image with permission by Microsoft.

Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing
Email: kenbarnes737@gmail.com
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Sunday, August 13, 2017

A Prayer in Times of Trouble

Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O Lord, help and comfort me (Psalms 86:17 NLT).

This Psalm is entitled a prayer of David. Most likely it was prayed in times of trouble. David asked for three things, mercy and grace, strength for the battle (v.16), and that God would send him a sign of his favor (v.17). Nothing silences the attack of our enemies more than a demonstration of God’s favor in our lives.

Trials should always drive us to our knees. The attacks of David's enemies taught him when and how to pray. In his prayer, David contrasts the goodness of God and the wickedness of man (v. 14-15). David had learned never to put his hope in man. Someone once said that “we can never expect too little from man, or too much from God.” David then pleads for strength. In the midst of the fiery trial, our first inclination is to avoid it. God often wants to give us the strength to tread through the trial rather than walk around it. In summing up the first two parts of his prayer, he first asked for grace and mercy to do what he could not accomplish himself. David then requested the strength to undertake things possible for him to do. God does not do things for us that we can perform ourselves, nor does he expect us to do things we cannot achieve. Spiritual maturity is discerning the difference between the two.

Finally, David asked for a sovereign sign to shame his detractors. It is an exercise in futility to convince those of darkened minds. Leave the results unto God, and he is well able to silence your foes.

Image used with permission by Microsoft.